MAURI had the privilege of chatting to one of our brand ambassadors, Ryan Khun. owner and baker of Country Cob Bakery in Kyneton, Victoria. Ryan kindly took the time to chat to us about his day-to-day life as a baker, telling us everything from his daily routine to his favourite recipes, products and so much more! Keep reading for the full interview.
Tell us about your store – where is it located, how many years you have been in operation, any areas you specialise in, how many customers you serve a month/year, awards and industry recognition…
Country Cob Bakery is located in the small country town of Kyneton, Victoria. We took over the shop 3.5 years ago now and since have had great success, both with the bakery and winning of awards! We have won the Australian Best Pie Competition 2 years in a row which we are very proud of, as well as many smaller gold awards. I would say we have won over 100 awards in total.
What was the main reason you decided to work with MAURI?
The previous owners of the bakery used to deal with another company, who wasn’t MAURI. Shortly after we took over, Paul Greene, one of MAURI’s Sales Reps came to see us. He provided excellent customer service and was extremely helpful, so we decided to try the product. We haven’t looked back since! We make a range of goods using MAURI’s offerings, of which have won lots of awards!
What advice would you give to other bakeries considering using MAURI?
You never know if you don’t try! If you haven’t tried MAURI products before, it is a good idea to sample and play around with it. The products are really good to be honest and two of our awards (Australia’s Best Pie and Vanilla Slice) have been won using them. It can be challenging to switch suppliers but once you’ve got the quality that MAURI gives, you don’t need to change again. MAURI really is one of the best.
What are your favourite MAURI products to use and why?
We have quite a few favourite products definitely. The Maximus and Supreme Bakers Flour are our main products and the ones we use on a regular basis in our everyday baking. Although we also love the Cake Donut mix and the Sponge Mix!
How can we make your baking experience better/easier?
When the quality of MAURI products is so good, it enables us to make quality products really easily, and that is such a crucial part of the baking process. The customer service is also very good too. Every time we have a question we can easily call and ask, and we always get a quick response with the solution which is great. This makes our job much easier and definitely makes us very satisfied customers.
What inspired you to become a baker?
My older brother, Chan, who is the head baker. I have learnt everything I know from him. He is my role model and was definitely my inspiration for getting into baking.
Which are the busiest times of year for you? Do you have any specialty products you like to create for these times that you are famous for?
Winter is definitely our busiest time, especially during the school holidays. In the winter, as its colder, we usually make more pies and pastries as people want something warm and comforting to eat. Since we have won Australia’s Best Pie 2 years in a row, people want to try our famous pies.
What does a day in the life of a Baker like you look like?
As we don’t make much bread in our bakery, we don’t have to get up at 1 or 2am, so get a bit of a sleep in! We focus on pies and cakes and so we can get up at 5 or 6am, just like any other job really. For us, being a baker is just another normal job, so we get to live normal working hours and spend time with our families.
What is your favourite part of your job?
My favourite part is definitely the baking and cooking the products. Although I love doing everything in the shop – except the paperwork!
How do our products differ from other products you’ve tried in the past? Pros and Cons
MAURI products are very consistent and of very high quality. We rarely have problems with the products, and if we do, they are very easy and quick to fix. The price is also great for the quality of the product, and that’s why we use MAURI.
